It’s that time of year. Teens are graduating high school and parents are considering what used cars to buy for them as graduation gifts. What once seemed like a luxury has become more of a necessity as teens need used cars for jobs and going away to college.

However, the question remains what are the safest used cars for teen drivers? Well, parents are going to have to sacrifice fuel economy for safety.

Small cars are the deadliest, except for one surprising pickup truck that weighs more than two tons and has a high safety rating. It’s earned the title of deadliest pickup truck on the road.

Here are the 10 models that top the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s  list, and the number of driver deaths between 2009 and 2012 per one million registered vehicles:

1. Kia Rio four-door, 149
2. Nissan Versa sedan, 130
3. Hyundai Accent four-door, 120
4. Chevrolet Aveo, 99
5. Hyundai Accent two-door, 86
6. Chevrolet Camaro coupe, 80
7. Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew 4WD, 79
8. Honda Civic two-door, 76
9. Nissan Versa hatchback, 71
10. Ford Focus, 70

Men’s Health interviewed noted automotive expert Lauren Fix on the issue. Fix, author of Driving Ambitions: A Complete Guide to Amateur Auto Racing, said, “Think back to high school physics: action and reaction. There are larger cars on the road, and an impact from a larger car amplifies the damage to a smaller car.”

Men’s Health calls it a David vs. Goliath issue, but in this case Goliath wins.

The article says, “David—your tiny car—gets stomped like a bug.”

There’s one surprising anomaly in the list: the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 crew cab with AWD. It has a curb weight approaching 5,000 lbs., which should make it safer to drive. Plus, it has a 5-star rating from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

As previously reported here on UsedCarsAbout.com, “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 20-year-olds and research shows that more than half of teens who die in crashes are passengers, most of whom are not wearing a seatbelt. In addition, studies have shown that a young driver's chance of getting in a fatal accident doubles when a teen passenger is in the car. With three or more passengers, the risk quadruples.”

The IIHS says in an update on death rates, “The chances of dying in a crash in a late-model vehicle have fallen by more than a third in three years, the latest IIHS calculations of driver death rates show. Among 2011 models, a record nine vehicles have driver death rates of zero. However, the gap between the safest and riskiest models remains wide, and three cars have death rates exceeding 100 per million registered vehicle years.”

The IIHS also said, “The latest death rates by make and model confirm the rapid pace of improvement. Among 2011 models, there were 28 driver deaths per million registered vehicle years through the 2012 calendar year, down from 48 for 2008 models through 2009.” Design improvements have a big factor in reducing fatalities. The IIHS said, “There were 7,700 fewer driver deaths in 2012 alone than there would have been had vehicles remained the same since 1985.”

"This is a huge improvement in just three years, even considering the economy's influence," says David Zuby, IIHS executive vice president and chief research officer. "We know from our vehicle ratings program that crash test performance has been getting steadily better. These latest death rates provide new confirmation that real-world outcomes are improving, too."

Although the numbers reflect 2011 models, data from earlier model-year vehicles as far back as 2008 are included if the vehicles weren't substantially redesigned before 2011. Including older, equivalent vehicles increases the exposure and thus the accuracy of the results. To be included, a vehicle must have had at least 100,000 registered vehicle years of exposure during 2009-12 or at least 20 deaths.

The rates include only driver deaths because the presence of passengers is unknown. Fatality counts are taken from the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Registration data are from R.L. Polk & Co.